<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Under the In-Flu-ence by SmolDargon</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29983128">Under the In-Flu-ence</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmolDargon/pseuds/SmolDargon'>SmolDargon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Adventures in Anatomy [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Undertale (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Illness, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, anatomical discussion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:35:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,402</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29983128</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmolDargon/pseuds/SmolDargon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The human has been awfully quiet today. Perhaps an investigation is in order.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Adventures in Anatomy [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2205429</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Under the In-Flu-ence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p></p><div>
  <p> </p>
  <p></p>
  <div>
    <p> </p>
    <p></p>
    <div>
      <p>Papyrus hadn't heard from the human all morning. Normally, she would send him funny pictures throughout the day, but today there had been radio silence on her end. His first thought was that he had somehow offended her, but that was discarded quickly; she wasn't the type to hide her anger. If someone made her mad, they would know about it immediately and forevermore in every interaction she was forced to have with them. Maybe she was just having an off day. He decided that was the most probable explanation. He grabbed his keys and some of the leftover pie from the refrigerator. Surely someone as great as he was could cheer up the sad human!</p>
      <p>He knocked softly at the human's door. She was easily startled by sudden loud noises, and he didn't want to add anxiety to whatever sadness she was fighting right then. To his surprise, she didn't answer the door. He poked his head around the side of her house, noting with some concern that her car was, in fact, parked in the carport. Her bicycle was also still chained up inside.</p>
      <p>
        <em>She is definitely home… why isn't she answering?</em>
      </p>
      <p>He sat on her doorstep and sent her a text, knowing she would typically answer immediately. Five minutes passed, then ten. Still, there was no response.</p>
      <p>
        <em>Maybe she's in the shower? No, this is an old house with creaky pipes; I would hear the water if she were.</em>
      </p>
      <p>Papyrus was beginning to worry; this behavior was extremely uncharacteristic. Even on her lowest days, she never ignored people, especially not her best friends. At the very least, she would have said something to the effect of "not feeling up to talking today". He finally decided to just go inside. The door was locked, but she had given him a spare key. She didn't have any family in the area, but she still wanted someone to be able to get into her house if she was unable to. She was…surprisingly adept at misplacing her keys or locking herself out, to the point that she typically kept a window unlocked so she could break herself in if it came down to it.</p>
      <p>He unlocked the door, stepping into her somewhat disorganized living room. It didn't look any worse than it normally did; in fact, the floors seemed freshly swept. Only a few stray bits of cat fur remained in the corners. The cats in question ran to greet him, chirruping a welcome. They seemed to have come from her bedroom, which meant the human was probably still in bed.</p>
      <p>
        <em>Very. Uncharacteristic. It's well past noon, she should be up and about by now.</em>
      </p>
      <p>He moved further into the house, heading for her bedroom.</p>
      <p>"HUMAN? ARE YOU ALRIGHT? I'M SORRY TO HAVE COME IN UNANNOUNCED, BUT I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM YOU AND--"</p>
      <p>Through the slightly open bedroom door, he could see she was in bed, apparently asleep. Her phone was still on the nightstand, ignored. He should probably let her sleep, but clearly something was amiss and he did not want to leave her to face it alone. He conjured up a small bone attack, poking it gently at her shoulder. Last time he'd tried to wake her up, she'd swung wildly at him, apparently thinking someone was trying to attack her.</p>
      <p>In a quiet voice, still husky with sleep, the human finally spoke, "Hey, Paps… What're you doin' here?"</p>
      <p>Something was off in the way she spoke. Her voice was normally low, but today it sounded a bit rough.</p>
      <p>"I CAME TO MAKE SURE YOU WERE ALRIGHT. IT'S ALMOST ONE IN THE AFTERNOON AND I HADN'T HEARD FROM YOU ALL DAY! YOU ARE ACTING VERY OUT OF CHARACTER, BEING ASLEEP THIS TIME OF DAY. WHAT IS TROUBLING YOU?"</p>
      <p>"Oh, wow….I really must not be feeling well if I'm still asleep this late… only intended to lay down for a quick nap."</p>
      <p>She was not the type to take naps. A thought formed in the skeleton's mind; maybe he did know why she had been so out of sorts.</p>
      <p>"HUMAN, ARE YOU SICK?"</p>
      <p>She sighed wearily, moving to sit on the edge of the bed.</p>
      <p>"It would appear so…. Best way to confirm it, I guess would be…"</p>
      <p>She spoke and moved much more slowly than normal, not even bothering to finish her statement. She acted as though her mind wasn't quite fully awake yet. She went to the bathroom, stumbling a bit at first. She pressed a hand to her right knee, cursing under her breath. Her limp was very noticeable that day. Papyrus watched as she retrieved a thermometer from her cabinet and stuck it in her mouth. He was already formulating a plan to help his friend feel better.</p>
      <p>"Ooooof…", she gave an exaggerated groan, "Definitely got a fever. Add that to the pain, nausea, exhaustion, and congestion… 's probably the goddamned flu…"</p>
      <p>Papyrus knew very little about human illness in general. However, "flu" was one of several terms he recognized, and he knew it was an unpleasant malady to experience. He was fairly certain people could die from it, and he felt his anxiety ramp up to an unbearable level. His human friend couldn't die!</p>
      <p>As if she could sense the panic in the skeleton's soul, she looked up at him reassuringly, "Don't worry, it's nothing too serious. Just need some rest an' maybe a little soup. It'll pass."</p>
      <p>"NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT?! YOU LOOK AWFUL!"</p>
      <p>"Hurtful. Continue.", she grumbled in mock offense.</p>
      <p>"DON'T PEOPLE DIE FROM THIS? YOU NEED TO GO TO A HOSPITAL OR SOMETHING!"</p>
      <p>He wrung his hands in desperation, hoping she would actually listen to his health advice for a change. The last time she refused medical help, she had turned out to have a mild concussion. Unfortunately, it seemed she wasn't ready to take advice; she hobbled to her kitchen, pulling a can of chicken noodle soup out of the cabinet. The soup went into a bowl, and then into the microwave.</p>
      <p>"Paps, it's gonna be fine. Lots of people get the flu every year, and only the really old or already unhealthy die from it. It's unpleasant, yes, and I'll need to stay home so I don't spread it to other humans, but I'll be fine."</p>
      <p>"BUT! WHAT ABOUT THE WHOLE POSSIBILITY OF MAJOR COMPLICATIONS? THAT'S A THING THAT CAN HAPPEN, RIGHT?"</p>
      <p>She chuckled, "You've been spending too much time on WebMD, man. Yes, complications are a possibility, but not common enough for me to worry with. You're not entirely wrong; I probably ought ta at least go see a doctor for some antibiotics, but that's not going to combat the flu itself."</p>
      <p>Papyrus shot her a quizzical look.</p>
      <p>"YOU MEAN, THEY DON'T MAKE MEDICATION FOR THE FLU?"</p>
      <p>"Well", she explained, moving to the couch with her soup, "not for the flu virus. Best they can do is antibiotics to keep me from gettin' something else--a secondary infection--on top of having the flu. They do make drugs that can fight the symptoms; you can treat the nausea, the sore throat, the cough… But ya can't actually do anything about the flu virus itself. That's just the nature of viral diseases, ya can't really get rid of them. In fact, once you have a virus, it just sort of lives in your genetic material for the rest of your life."</p>
      <p>The skeleton sat down next to her, still fidgeting nervously.</p>
      <p>"SO…YOU JUST HAVE TO DEAL WITH THESE PROBLEMS FOREVER?"</p>
      <p>The human laughed, then coughed, taking a few moments to regain her composure, explaining in between swallows of broth.</p>
      <p>"God, no! The symptoms go away in time. Think the average is like a week for the flu. Probably less for me, I'm hardly ever sick. Got a fantastic immune system. That's also why I'm not so worried about secondary infection. If anything worse develops, I will absolutely take your advice and see a doctor. But with the cost of medical care in this country and my lack of health insurance, I'm not goin' in unless I absolutely have to. Rather buy fish antibiotics from the pet store than see an actual doctor."</p>
      <p>"FISH. ANTIBIOTICS.", Papyrus said. He was appalled when the human just nodded in the affirmative. "SHOULD I JUST SKIP THE MIDDLEMAN AND HAVE UNDYNE BRING YOU SOME OF HER MEDICATION?"</p>
      <p>That got another quiet chuckle out of her.</p>
      <p>"No, that won't be necessary. I doubt I'll even need it. Like I said, just have to ride it out. My body'll eventually fight it off. Until then, I suffer. Less so now that I have company."</p>
      <p>In that moment, Papyrus was suddenly very grateful monsters couldn't contract human diseases. He could keep her company indeed, or bring her more soup and medicine if she needed it.</p>
      <p>"I suppose…I should get my flu shot once I'm recovered. I doubt I'll catch it again this year, but it's a possibility. Never know which flu you're going to get."</p>
      <p>Papyrus eyed her nervously, "THERE'S MORE THAN ONE FLU? AND WHAT DOES ALCOHOL HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?"</p>
      <p>
        <em>Oh god, this oversized jelly bean… if only alcohol were an option, I'd take that any day.</em>
      </p>
      <p>In an uncharacteristically soft voice, she explained, "No, love, not that kind of shot. I meant an injection. A vaccine."</p>
      <p>Papyrus cringed at the mention of needles, but said nothing.</p>
      <p>"The idea is that you take a dead or weakened version of the illness in question and stick it in a human so their immune system learns to recognize it and fight it off. It's supposed to prevent you from getting sick at all. Y'ever hear of polio?"</p>
      <p>He shook his head. He knew some of the more common human diseases by name, and polio wasn't ringing any bells. Her cats took the opportunity to join them in the living room. The tabby made himself right at home on Papyrus's shoulders, while the fluffy, white one seemed content to sit on the floor at her owner's feet.</p>
      <p>"That's because we eradicated it. Was a big problem for a long time, but someone developed a vaccine. Then, the government mandated that everyone had to get vaccinated for it. Now, you almost never hear about someone gettin' it. Lots of diseases've been eliminated altogether or reduced greatly in frequency by vaccination alone. Pertussis, diphtheria, rubella, mumps, measles…everyone is supposed to get vaccinated for those ones as children. We don't see them very commonly anymore."<br/>"SO THEN, IF YOU'RE SO GOOD AT GETTING RID OF DISEASES, WHY IS THE FLU STILL OUT THERE?"</p>
      <p>"Remember when I said you never know which flu you're going to get? I wasn't being facetious. There are multiple strains of the flu virus, and we see new ones every year. The vaccine is actually designed to combat the most common strains predicted for that year based on what crops up in China. They usually get hit first, and the rest of the world then has time to calculate and predict what flu viruses we're likely to see. That's also why we have to get vaccinated annually, rather than just a few times as kids. We may have lifelong immunity from this year's strains of flu, but not the new ones."</p>
      <p>"THAT SOUNDS…COMPLICATED. FOR THE SCIENTISTS, I MEAN."</p>
      <p>"Yeah, it is. I can't imagine spending my life in a lab fixing every flu that comes out. But lots of people love doing it, and I can't complain, seeing how they make it possible to not ever get this shit."<br/>Papyrus had to admit, it was amusing hearing such clinical, scientific talk from someone who routinely threw around such awful words as "fuck" and "hella" and "y'all'd've". Her accent didn't come out frequently, but when it did, it came out with a vengeance. He wondered if she intentionally hid it out of embarrassment, the way he hid his own.</p>
      <p>"WELL, IF YOU'RE CERTAIN YOU AREN'T GOING TO DIE FROM THIS, I SUPPOSE I DON'T IMMEDIATELY HAVE TO CART YOU OFF TO THE DOCTOR."</p>
      <p>She chuckled a thanks, stood, and made her way back to the bedroom, white cat in tow. The tabby kept his perch atop Papyrus's shoulders, even hanging on as he made his way into the kitchen. He took her now empty bowl to the dishwasher. For once, there was no cry of "I can do it myself" from the human. It seemed she felt sick enough to allow someone else to help her. While it was concerning, Papyrus was silently glad he wouldn't have to fight her pride along with helping her fight the flu.</p>
      <p>"YOU ARE MAKING MY JOB TRICKY, MR. T.", he admonished, giving the cat a good-natured boop on the nose. The feline just bunted his head against Papyrus's finger and began purring. He was an easy-going cat, and the friendlier of the two. He made a good companion to the otherwise solitary human.</p>
      <p>By the time Papyrus got back to the bedroom, his human friend had already curled up in bed, although she still seemed cold. He grabbed another blanket from her closet and threw it over her. It wouldn't do to let her be unnecessarily uncomfortable. She already had the flu, he didn't want her catching a cold to go with it. Her white cat hopped onto the bed and curled up at the human's feet. She was surprisingly graceful considering she had no eyes. Papyrus was constantly amazed by what she could do in her blindness. The tabby finally jumped down from his perch and haloed himself around the human's head. The skeleton smiled, pleased that his human wouldn't be completely alone while he went out to look for more soup.</p>
      <p>
        <em>Perhaps I should also grab tissues…I've heard humans have some sort of nasal fluid malfunction when they get sick.</em>
      </p>
      <p>"YOU KITTIES TAKE CARE OF THE HUMAN FOR ME, I'M GOING OUT TO GET MORE SUPPLIES. AND YOU", he firmly stuck a finger in the human's direction, "STAY IN BED AND GET SOME REST."</p>
      <p>She hummed quietly in response, not even bothering to stifle her yawn. If she was that sick, Papyrus felt confident she would be in bed the rest of the day. He was almost out of her bedroom when he heard her mumble a quiet "thank you" before dozing off. Papyrus smiled to himself. Friendship was hard, but she was learning.</p>
      <p> </p>
    </div>
  </div>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The human has an odd version of a southern accent. It only really comes out when she's angry or tired. The HC for Papyrus here is that he's Scottish when he's not disguising it with bombastic, theatrical talk.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>